Administratrix of



(No Model.)

W; A. SAWYER, Decd.

A. F. SAWYER, Administratrix.

HOOP.

Patented May 3, 1892.

Minesses Maw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANNETTE F. SAWVYER, OF DANVERS, MASSACHUSETTS, ADMINISTRATRIX OF WILLIAM A. SAWYER, DECEASED.

HOOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,101, dated May 3, 1892.

Application filed June 13, 1891- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that WILLIAM A. SAWYER, late of Brldgewater, in the county of Grafton and State of New Hampshire, deceased, did invent certain new and useful Improvements in Pails and Similar Receptacles, of which the following is a full specification.

This invention relates to such articles as pails, tubs, buckets, kegs, churns, 850., wherein the body of the article is made up of staves or strips bound firmly together.

The objects of the invention are,first, to so construct the receptacle that itis absolutely impossible for the hoops to get out of place or drop off,no matter how dry the receptacle may get or how much the material of the staves may shrink, and, second, to have the hoops concealed from view, so as to give to the receptacle a more pleasing appearance by reason of the fact that it is perfectly smooth on the outside as well as on the inside. These ends are accomplished by having the hoops contained within the material of the staves in the manner hereinafter described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in section a pail embodying the said improvements. Fig. 2 shows the mannor of joining the ends of each hoop, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view.

A .is the body of the receptacle,made up of staves in the usual manner. The number of hoops required depends on the depth of the receptacle. The pail shown in the drawings contains three. Each stave is.bored out parallel to the top and bottom with as many holes as there are hoops, the holes being of a size to contain within them the hoops, which are preferably made of metallic wire. The hoopholes are bored in each stave at corresponding distances from the top or bottom thereof prior to putting the staves together, so that when the staves are in position a continuous hole passes horizontally around the material of the receptacle for each hoop.

The hoops B are preferably circular in trans verse section, each hoop being of suitable length to pass completely around the receptacle within its particular hole and to lap over somewhat at the ends. The ends I) b of the hoops are first cut off at an angle and then correspondingly serrated, so that when they engage together they catch and lock in the manner shown in Fig.2 against any force tending to pull them apart. The staves are Serial N... 396,203. (No model.)

threaded on the hoops, which are preferably so arranged that their ends will lap over each other within the material of a stave rather than at the junction of two staves. The staves are then pressed firmly together, while the ends I) b of each hoop within its hole slip by each other and catch and lock together in a manner readily understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 3. The hoops preferably fit the passages quite accurately, and when the ends are joined together the construction 1s such that the cross-section of the hoop is not enlarged at the junction, as shown in Fig 2, but the hoop is of perfectly uniform section throughout. In this manner the hoops are always securely held in place and can never become loose or disengaged from the receptacle. Moreover, a pail, tub, or cask constructed in this manner is very strong and at the same time presents an extremely neat appearance, by reason of the fact that the hoops, being entirely concealed within the material of the receptacle, the latter is as smooth on the outside as on the interior.

What is claimed is 1. In a pail,a wire hoop having its ends cut off at an angle and correspondingly serrated, in combination with the walls of a continuous circular passage-way around the pail through the material of the staves, within which passage-way the hoop is adapted to fit, whereby when said staves are pressed together the hoop ends are guided in said passage-way to slip by each other and automatically interlock, substantially as described.

2. A pail or similar receptacle having concealed passages through the staves thereof parallel to the top and bottom, in combination with hoops 13, contained within said passages, having ends I) cut ofi at an angle and correspondingly serrated with a series of teeth, whereby when said ends slip by each other within the hoop-hole they engage and lock together, forming a junction of uniform cross-section with the material of the hoop, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANNETTE F. SAWYIER, Ad'mt'mstmtrt'r of estate of William A.

Sawyer. Witnesses:

ALBERT E. LEACH, WV. B. H. DOWsE. 

